I'm currently reading "The Bookman's Promise" by John Dunning. It's a mystery -- a "bibliomystery", in fact. It's the third one in this series that Dunning has written. I think that Dunning is or used to be a rare books dealer in Colorado, so this series is particularly interesting to those of us who are bibliophiles.

I will soon be reading "The Ships of Air", the second novel in a fantasy series by Martha Wells, due to be released on the 29th of this month. Martha's earlier books were all smashingly good fantasies, though they're not at all light-hearted fantasies like Elfin Ship or anything. (Martha lives in my old hometown, and I run into her occasionally.) She's really a rising star to watch, I believe.

If you desire some summer reading that's a lighthearted fantasy more in the vein of Blaylock's type of work, I recommend trying Richard A. Lupoff's "Into the Aether". It came out a long time ago, so you'd have to find it on a used book website, most likely. It definitly falls into the subgenre of humorous steampunk, I think. Here's the description:

Quote:

When the 'Chester A. Arthur', the world's first and only coal/steam/paddlewheel-propelled spaceship rose into the skies over Buffalo Falls, Pa. , who would have expected what followed? Will Professor Thintwhistle and his crew be able to return to earth? Will Miss Taphammer ever find them? Will Jefferson Jackson Clay's foul plot succeed? And what of the King of the Cats?

At the risk of hijacking this thread (sorry), I was just wondering, Silver, if you'd ever given any thought to applying your artistic skills to bringing something from Blaylock's worlds to the canvas? I just went through your webpages and saw some of your work- very nice. With your architectural skills, I think you'd do a fine job interpreting things like a Twombly Town scene, or perhaps Dr. Chan's storefront. In fact, I'd go as far as saying that you'd probably become a local hero around these parts after producing something like that!

I'm sure there'd be some pesky legal issues to deal with through the publisher, and I certainly wouldn't want to see Mr. Blaylock's work interpreted without his blessing, but I, for one, would certainly buy a print

Jeff

Edit: As it's been over 2 months, I'll take your lack of a response as a resounding "no".....

"He'd worked his way through half of G. Smithers, having long ago come to the conclusion that reading is perhaps the finest thing in the world to do in one's leisure time."

IP Logged

David Nixon

Guest

Re: What's everybody reading?Reply #32 - 21. Jul 2004 at 18:40

I've recently suggested some Blaylock to a friend I haven't seen since high school. She has yet to get her hands on any, but I anxiously await her thoughts.Anyway, I read Gene Wolfe's "The Knight" a few weeks ago and think it's one of the best fantasy novels in recent years; can't wait for the second half ("The Wizard") to be released. Also reading Jasper Fforde's "Thursday Next" books (starting with "The Eyre Affair"); they're funny and fast-paced alternate history, with just enough literary references to keep this reformed English major satisfied. Working my way through Patrick O'Brian's books as well (listened to most of them on CD first, read by patrick Tull, which I also recommend); I'm on the fourth one--a personal favorite.Also picked up Anne McCaffrey's Pern trilogy to re-read for the first time in nearly 20 years. They're good fun, if a little simplistic. I think I've mentioned "Bridge of Birds" by Barry Hughart and "The Harp and the Blade" by John Myers Myers before (on the archived board), but I'll say it again: read these books!There's more than my two cents. 30

Patton - A Soldier's Life = very good, but the thing I hate about Biography is the cast of 1000's -- it's hard to remember who some folks are from chapter 1 to chapter 20 etc.... So and so died, eh? Who was that again? I finally gave up trying to figure it out and just decided to plow on. The stuff about Black Jack Pershing is also interesting.

Maybe Powers could incorporate Patton into one of his alternate realities like he did Philby? Plenty of material. I loved the throw away story about GSP hunting boar with a Renault tank, ripping up a forest much to the dismay of the locals!

'Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee' by Dee Brown. It's a history of how the American West was won from a native perspective. It has a lot of biographical data on several of the famous chiefs we've all heard of, like Cochise, Sitting Bull, and Geronimo, as well as a lot of men who I've never heard of, but who have very interesting lives nonetheless. I recommend it to anyone, although it is pretty graphic at times.

I'm on my last Simak novel, Time and Again, at least until I can get my hands on some more. Next, I think I am going to re-read the fuzzy books, Little Fuzzy, The Other Human Race, and Fuzzies and Other People by H. Beam Piper.

There is another novel by Piper that I'm thinking about ordering called "The Cosmic Computer." Has anyone read it?